The matchup between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is shaping up to be a 'titanic clash of the sexes'

The 2016 general election is shaping up to feature potentially unprecedented gender gaps, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

The Quinnipiac University poll found Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton leading presumptive Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump by 4 points among likely voters nationwide.

But the gaps were far wider among male and female voters, potentially setting the stage for what Quinnipiac billed as a "titanic clash of the sexes."

According to the polls, 51% of male voters preferred Trump, while only 35% said they'd back Clinton.

But Trump's support among female voters is even lower than Clinton's deficit among male voters. In that result, 54% of female voters reported they would support the former secretary of state, compared to only 30% who said they would support Trump.

That's a 40-point swing between male and female voters. For perspective, Gallup reported a 20-point swing between male and female voters in the 2012 matchup between President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. The president won women by 12 points, while Romney won among men by 8 points.

"This is a very tight race that will divide Democrats and Republicans, the young and the old, white, black and Hispanic voters - and husbands and wives - in the months ahead," Quinnipiac University Poll assistant director Tim Malloy wrote in a press release.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee continues to maintain low levels of popularity among female voters, who in recent presidential elections have voted at a higher rate than men. Throughout the Republican primary, Trump consistently garnered the lowest favorability ratings among female voters of any major 2016 presidential candidate.

Trump has tried to undermine Clinton's support with women by highlighting the decades-old marital infidelities of her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Democrats have fired back by unleashing a torrent of old press reports highlighting Trump's numerous inflammatory statements about women.

Last month, a super PAC backing Hillary Clinton released its first set of anti-Trump ads. One of the ads prominently depicted women reading the real-state magnate's statements about women.